


a touching moment

by pandabrite



Series: tumblr drabbles [5]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Drabble, Gen, One Shot, Post-Canon, and taako has to deal with it lmfao, ango's sick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-18 06:49:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13094682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandabrite/pseuds/pandabrite
Summary: angus mcdonald is sick, and taako visits to try and make him feel better. he battles with thoughts about the frailty of humans and also with his own emotions.





	a touching moment

**Author's Note:**

> another request on tumblr~ c: someone asked for forehead kisses lol.

[inspired in part by this post](https://jumpboy-rembrandt.tumblr.com/post/168776397792/taako-im-a-stone-cold-motherfucker-whos-never)

—

Human constitutions were such garbage. **  
**

Taako was fortunate in that he wasn’t a human, and therefore didn’t suffer from human shortcomings, of which there were many. Numerous. Too fuckin’ many. 

One of which was sickness. What would cause a sniffle in an elf had a human bedridden for weeks. What could be cured with a little meditation took days of sleep for a human… it was kinda equal parts sad and pathetic…

What was almost more pathetic was the fact that Taako was currently sitting by the bedside of a very, very ill Angus McDonald. 

Taako had his chin propped on his hand, looking vaguely disgusted by the state of the boy… a feverish, red face, labored breathing… several blankets covered his body, making his small form seem even more diminutive.  Bottles of herbal medicines and potions sat on the bedside, as well as several get well presents from members of the school and members of the Bureau.

Joining those were a canteen of soup which Taako had brought from home. Unfortunately, he had been advised (more like ordered) by the doctor to let Ango sleep and not wake him. Half of Taako had said, well, fine, I’ll just leave then… the other half, the more annoying half, kept his ass rooted in this uncomfortable seat, just… sitting there.

Why the hell was he just sitting there?

Like, sure, maybe he felt a little bad about seeing little Angus McDonald laid out sick, but most of him was just sort of grossed out and uncomfortable with it. People visited sick people all the time, but he didn’t get the point of just sitting around being miserable while the person didn’t even know you were there. And yet, there he fuckin’ was. 

There he was.

“Oi, vey, c’mon…” Taako mumbled to himself, and as he did, he slapped his hands down upon his knees and pushed up to his feet with every intention to bounce. He’d offered some goodwill– bringing baller soup that would be cold by the time Ango woke up– so he’d done his good deed and could leave with a clear conscious, right?

Right as he went to go, right as he went to finally bounce, he heard a small, croaky voice sound from behind him.

_“… sir?”_

… right when he was almost scot-free. 

“Hey, there he is~” Taako turned back toward the bed, opening his hands and meandering closer, “I’d ask how you’re doing but, uh, sorta seems a touch pointless, considering how… absolutely garbage you look, kid.”

Angus watched Taako, gaze heavy lidded, and snuffled a little before answering meekly, “thanks for that.”

But even despite the kind of snarky response, albeit weak, Angus was smiling. And, somehow, that made Taako feel even more creepy-crawly about the whole thing. Those soft, appreciative eyes lingering on him… ugh. 

“I– uh, here,” Taako busied himself to distract from the weird menagerie of feelings, “got you something that’ll kick that shit, little man.” As he spoke, he was opening the canteen of thankfully still warm soup.

Angus watched curiously, “I dunno… I… I’m sort of not feeling the best…”

“Tsk, nah, wrong answer. Growing kids gotta eat, or whatever, right? Besides, it’s me, you know it’s good.”

After a moment of consideration, Ango’s weak frame shifted… he tried to sit up, and… failed, miserably, flopping back onto the bed with a weak huff of frustration.

Taako froze in the middle of pouring a cup of soup, eyes lingering in what could only translate as a half mortified and half disgusted expression. Not necessarily with Angus himself, but… just how weak he seemed. The concept of human mortality and weakness were so foreign to him that seeing it now, painted as plain as day, made him extremely uncomfortable.

“H… here–” Taako edged forward, and after depositing his soup on the nightstand, very delicately placed a hand on Angus’ back, lifting him with surprising ease into a propped position against his pillow. After doing so, Taako immediately lurched backward, nose wrinkled, hands held away from himself uncertainly.

“Look, I’m not toxic or anything,” Angus pouted at the sight of him, “I– especially not to someone with your constitution.”

“I get that,” Taako huffed, and he glanced away… part of him kinda wanted to go with that explanation, because it was easier than I feel pity for you and don’t know how to process it properly.

So instead he’d just give him the soup and then bounce. Because this was getting to be too much for Taako… way, way too much.

Taako held out the small cup, and Angus’ shaky hands took it. He eyed it, then Taako, then the cup…

Before Taako got a chance to be exasperated with his hesitation he took a drink, and then another, and then quietly nursed the cup.

“Atta boy,” Taako mumbled, hands on his hips, gaze… well, lingering on a tasteful picture on the wall, rather than Angus’ quivering hands, the meek way he sipped the warm broth, his little sniffles…

“It’s really good, Sir,” Angus offered.

“I mean, yeah, of course it is.”

“Right, right, sorry,” he lowered the cup, “I… I’m sorry, I’m just really tired. I think this is all I can manage…”

“Hey, now, listen… don’t waste it, do you know how many people would kill to get Taako cooking delivered to their bedside? Like, a lot. More than you can imagine.”

“And I’m super grateful to that, but…” And as if to punctuate his decision, Angus sat the small cup on the side table. After which he slid down, back into the nest of blankets on his bed, “… it really did make me feel a little better.” He offered.

Which, didn’t help a whole lot, but Taako guessed that was fine enough, or… whatever.

“Cool, cool. It’s fine. I’m sure it’ll keep,” Taako screwed the thermos shut and sat it to the side, “so… uh… rest up, kid?” 

“Mhm…” Angus was already heavy lidded, droopy faced… he was dozing, and as he did, even as it was obvious he was trying to keep consciousness, his head was slipping to the side.

“Eugh…” Taako shook his head, flicking his hands away from himself as if to banish the icky feeling crawling in his bones, “sayonara, Ango–” 

He was ready to go, man. Ready. To. Go.

But, once again, as he went to stride from the room, a meek, meek voice piqued his senses from behind him.

_“… thanks, dad…”_

Taako was rooted in place. 

Slowly, his head turned toward the bed… his senses felt like they’d caught whiplash– what… _did he say..?_

_Dad?_

A menagerie of emotions hit Taako like a fuckin’ train. Which wasn’t super great for someone who had about the capacity to handle one emotion at a time, max… He felt… well, first and foremost, weirded out… wrong. Like the itchy side of a blanket rubbing against your skin. And second, he felt… warm. A warmth that spread through his bones, through his heart– and fuck was it uncomfortable.

What the fuck was he supposed to think of that?

Taako approached him again, despite himself, eyeing critically the woefully sick Angus McDonald.

_Who had just called him Dad._

Taako squirmed. Taako huffed through his nose. Taako performed mental olympics to try and sort out just how he was going to feel about that. That meek little proclamation…. That fuckin’ set Taako’s emotions into overdrive.

He could barf, maybe? 

“Geeze, why you gotta fuck’ with me?” But as he stared at him, the… softer he felt. And, eventually, he just stopped fighting it. No one was there to catch him feeling like melted putty, right? He sighed, allowing air he’d been holding tense in his lungs to escape…

There was no denying it was… sweet. And maybe it felt… kind of nice, right? If he’d allow himself, he might even be kind of chuffed with that. He’d… He’d just use it to make fun of Angus later, when he felt better. Right? 

You think of me as a father figure?

Taako felt his heart skip a beat at that thought. Weird. Woah. Calm down. He pressed his fingers into his own chest, an annoyed expression flashing across his face, mostly at himself. For feeling so… so… fucking weak.

He had to go. Right now.

And yet, even as he thought this… even as he told himself he had to get away from this kid that was making him feel soft like a fuckin’ melted popsicle, he didn’t move. He felt compelled to linger, to watch his gross, sick face…

Before he knew what he was doing, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Angus’ feverish forehead. 

He drew back, and his brows were inclined, and what could only be described as the first look of true pity was given to the unconscious boy. Thin fingers brushed hair out of his face, and, God, Taako let himself feel just kinda fuckin’ bad. 

… but he wrapped that shit up quick. 

“God,” Taako slapped a palm over his own face, “… get better, kid. Not sure if I can handle any more of this sad, sick, pathetic, gross Ango…”

He knew he was talking to no-one in particular as he finally willed himself to exit the room. He was practically running, he was walking so fast, coat drawn up close to himself as he left the hospital and back into frigid winter air.


End file.
